The Forgotten One
by fiction2fantasy
Summary: Memory is a powerful thing. As the twins head back to Gravity Falls to search for clues to the whereabouts of their missing Gruncles, A long lost rival strives to return. Secrets and lies threaten to tear the pair apart as the villain manipulates them for his own personal gain.
1. Back to Gravity Falls

The cold morning air turned crisp as the warm sunshine crept through the trees, slowly melting the frost of the outside of the bus as it snaked through the winding roads to Gravity Falls. A pair of Twins sat next to each other, passed out from the long ride, the boy's head against the window, fogging up the glass as he dreamed. Gnomes and Giants and Dinosaurs roamed around in his own personal fantasy as he recalled the events that happened five years ago. A menacing laugh pierced through the bliss and fear surrounded Dipper; A infamous voice from the past welcoming him back.

"Dipper Pines! It's been too long. Did you forget about me? Cus I didn't forget about YOU!" One yellow eye turned blood red with rage. It grew larger until it threatened to swallow him whole.

His eyes snapped open.

"Just a dream" He knew in his head it was, but his stomach was in knots from the experience. The bus slowly screeched to a halt in front of the only stop in town. Mabel shifted awake next to her brother, yawning as she stretched away the sleepiness. It took her less than a second to catch up.

"We're here! I can't WAIT to see everyone! AHH. I hope it's just like I remember!" She sprang up off the seat and grabbed her backpack from the overhead storage, running off the bus before Dipper could even make sense of his mixed feelings. Something told him that there was more than memories waiting for him in Gravity Falls. He exhaled on the window, making a small spot of condensation. With his index finger, he traced the image of the foe long forgotten. One small triangle with a top hat hovering above the apex. He stared for a brief moment, then smeared the picture away.

"Get it together Dipper, He's gone, and he's not coming back." He wavered as he spoke the words, hoping that saying them out loud would reassure him slightly. He still felt tense as he stood up, to grab his backpack. He unzipped the first pocket and pulled out a scuffed up White and blue hat. He sighed as he touched the Blue emblem on the face of it. He turned it around and slipped it snugly over his full brown locks as he stepped off the bus.


	2. The Road to the Past

Dipper lingered behind Mabel, dragging his feet. The town looked a little different considering the last time he was here, Bill almost completely destroyed everything. Most of the buildings were reconstructed to their previous designs, but they had the glow of fresh unstained bricks, perfect unscathed windows, and new paint. Even the sidewalks had all the cracks filled in, and the roads were freshly paved.

"It's even better than I imagined!" Mabel exclaimed.

"Yeah, I guess it is. Who do you think funded the renovation?"

"That would be me!" A tall blonde wrapped in a fancy coat and scarf stood in front of the pair. "If it isn't the Pines twins. What has it been, five years?"

"Pacifica!" they said in unison.

"The Mayor and I have been pretty busy since you two left, but I found a way to put the Northwest Fortune to good use rebuilding the town."

"It looks amazing! Just like I remember!" Mabel squeaked.

"If you're staying in town for a while, you have to let me take you two out to dinner. I own the best restaurants in town!" Pacifica fiddled through her handbag and pulled out a buzzing cellphone. "I have to take this, but I'm holding you to dinner. We have a lot to catch up on!" With that, she strolled off yapping to the person on the other end of the line.

"She has really grown up a lot, hasn't she Dipper?" Mabel jested at him,"Maybe you two could, you know, get together while you're here, spark up some romance!" She jabbed his arm with her elbow.

"No thanks. I'm not interested in Pacifica. Besides, we're not here for that long. We're only staying until we can figure out what happened to Stan and Ford."

"Oh, you're no fun." A thought popped into her head suddenly. "Oh! I promised Candy and Grenda that I would see them when I came into town. I won't take long, I promise. I'll meet you at the shack in a little while. Byeeee!" With that, she ran of back towards town, leaving Dipper standing alone by the edge of the forest.

"See you later I guess." He said it more to himself as she was already a ways down the road. He turned on his heels and started down the path into the woods. It was weird to be back here again. So much had changed over the years. He was no longer a kid wandering around searching for adventures and mystical creatures. When he moved back to California, he lost some of that wonder about the unknown. Life was just kind of "Normal" now compared to that summer. On the edge of turning 19, he felt almost bored with the direction his life was headed. there was nothing that any institution could teach him that could compare with the experiences he had accumulated with his sister and all the friends he made in Gravity Falls. It was like there was a missing piece in his chest, a lust for mystery and childlike revelry. A week ago, He received a letter from Ford with postage from several countries. It lit up a spark inside Dipper. He fished through his backpack for the envelope. Pulling it out, he unfolded it and reread the words again to himself.

 _Dipper,_

 _Stan and I have been on a slew of extraordinary adventures since leaving Gravity falls._

 _We have seen things that the language can't begin to describe. We are about to embark on our most ludicrous expedition yet. I have been researching an anomaly in the Arctic Ocean that I believe is the gateway to another world. If I am wrong, You may never see us again, but I am certain that we are on the brink of a huge discovery. I have remotely uploaded my research to the computer in the basement of the Mystery shack just in case something happens to us._

 _Please, go back to Gravity Falls and examine my research. You are the only one who could bring us back. I believe in you Dipper._

 _Love_

 _Gruncle Stan and Gruncle Ford._

He folded the letter up, slipped in into the envelope and put it back in his pack. He desperately wanted to see Stan and Ford again, so without hesitation, he started preparing for the trip back. He originally planned on going alone, but as soon as Mabel found out he was heading to Oregon, she insisted on joining him. Time and age had grown between Dipper and Mabel. When she got her braces off in high school, she started getting more attention from guys at school, and Dipper always had his head in a new book every week. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad for them to spend a little time together, and bond over a common place that they shared a strong bond. Although Dipper would not admit it, he welcomed her company on the long journey.

Now that he was back again, he had butterflies in his stomach. He hoped that he wouldn't let down Ford, who he admired so highly. He thought that maybe if he could prove himself, Ford would let him accompany them on their trips.

The trees began to thin around a familiar opening with the Mystery shack standing tall in the middle. Dipper took a deep breath as he walked up the steps to the front door.


	3. He Comes at Night

Darkness fell around the Shack. Only Dipper was still awake. He sat alone in the den, flipping through channels on the television. He felt the hairs on his neck stand up and suddenly felt like he was not alone. A creak from the front door prompted him to quickly get up from the lounge chair and bolt for the entry, where he found the door ajar. The hairs on his arm were now straight up like they had been shocked with lightning. Dipper shut and bolted the door. He was not physically unsettled, and began to walk around the whole shack, checking all the doors and windows. When he came to the back door, He saw the screen door swinging back and forth. A ways out the door was a figure, standing in the darkness, waiting to be acknowledged. Dipper felt a chill shoot up his spine and his breathing became quick, erratic and unsteady. The man started walking running towards the door. Dipper quickly went for the door, slamming it shut and locking it just before the man got close enough. He looked straight at dipper, and started walking towards the window. Dipper jumped to the window and latched it.

"Dipper, do you really think you can keep ME out?" the voice taunted him, as the mans eyes began to glow. His pupils shifted, turning into what looked like cat eyes. "I'M ALREADY HERE, DIPPER!" raising his voice to a shout, the glass shattered, and a reflection cracked along with it. Dipper spun around to see the piercing yellow eyes standing over him, though the figure was still completely immersed in shadow. Only the light from the next room illuminated an outline. Dipper wanted to scream, but could barely even whimper as the shadow grew in size, changing into a dark monster. It had large tentacles where its arms used to be. Dipper tried to push the beast away from himself through the doorway and push it shut, but the tentacles slithered their way in, slowly pushing the door back and wrapping its slimy appendage around dipper's arm. Next the head came through, disfigured and gory, staring at him. Dipper fought to close the door, but it pushed back with even greater force; he knew he could not hold the door much longer. The beast burst through with ease as if he had been able to the whole time, knocking dipper back onto the floor. Dark tentacles pulled him up, wrapping tightly around him. From the face of the beast, a large mouth appeared with a terrifying amount of teeth, drawing dipper in. He opened his mouth to scream but heard no sound.

"DUDE, DUDE!" Soos said, shaking Dipper.

Dipper opened his eyes. Though he knew he was awake now, he could still see the monster burned into his view like a sunspot. He heard Soos' voice, but it took him a minute to be able to leave the dreamworld. It was like he was in both places at once.

"Soos." He was relieved, but still visibly shaken.

"Are you okay, little dude? You were asleep on the couch and then you just started screaming. You're like, all sweaty and stuff."

Dipper was trembling, still trying to pull himself away from the nightmare. "I'm fine, Soos." His voice betrayed his words, just as shaky as his body.

"If you say so. Lemme get you some water."

Dipper sat up and felt his shirt sticking to his back. He was indeed sweating profusely. Sunlight from outside seemed to be the biggest comfort and prove to him that he was awake. He stood up and followed Soos into the kitchen.


End file.
